Bt cotton: adopt wait-and-watch policyP.K. KhoslaTHE recurrence of suicides by farmers in cotton-growing regions of southern India has become a national debate. This started with the introduction of fourth-generation synthetic pyrethroids some 20 years ago for the control of American bollworm, the dreaded pest of cotton.

Know your monsoonM.L. Khichar and
Ram NiwasMONSOON plays a vital role in farm productivity as well as power generation. In India, over 75 per cent of the annual rainfall is received during the Southwest monsoon season.The word monsoon owes its origin to the Arabic word
"mausim," meaning season.

Handling diarrhoea in calves
Akshey Prakash
SharmaSUCCESSFUL calf rearing is based on good management and hygienic practices. Diarrhoea in calves is a major reason for neonatal mortality and leads to quality genoplasm and economic losses to farmers. Thus the prevention of neonatal diarrhoea is of great concern to dairy farmers.

GREEN WISDOMAqua-fertilisationPLACEMENT of fertilisers with the help of an aqua-fertiliser drill showed significant improvement in germination, growth and yield of rain-fed wheat and lentil over the results obtained with dry placement of fertiliser.

THE recurrence of suicides by farmers in cotton-growing regions of southern India has become a national debate. This started with the introduction of fourth-generation synthetic pyrethroids some 20 years ago for the control of American bollworm, the dreaded pest of cotton.

The low efficacy of the pesticides in many cases plagued by high cost and low yield have been thought to be the prime reasons for the loss to farmers. That is why when the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) approved the commercial cultivation of three Mahyco-Monsanto Bt cotton transgenics (Mech-184; Mech-162; Mech-12) on March 26, 2002, it was received with open arms by cotton growers of the country. The higher yield and low pesticide consumption were the attractions, irrespective of the high cost of seeds. Environmentalists of the country, on the other hand, saw this scientific innovation as another suicidal trap, along with dangers of killing our natural biodiversity and the generation of super weeds.

In spite of heavy usage of pesticides amounting to about Rs 16,00 crore, which is half of the total of other crops, about 13 per cent of the crop was damaged in the country due to heavy attack of American bollworm.

The issue has drawn the attention of policy makers, scientists, industrialists and others to find ways and means to check such catastrophes and to improve the cotton yield. Mr S.P. Oswal, Managing Director, Vardhman Spinning Mills, Ludhiana, has said: "In Punjab there are some farmers which produce 800 kg or even more of cotton. The practices followed by them require to be replicated. A Consortium of Cotton Promotion is mooted in Punjab to tackle the problem. If five farmers can achieve the startling targets then others too can do it, provided the technological packages as adopted by elite farmers are demonstrated to them. The consortium intends to adopt an extension system that would include all stakeholders, including industry and progressive farmers. The need of the hour is to improve production through the optimal management of existing hybrid varieties. Once the controversy of Bt cotton is over, then that can also be used for furthering the cotton yield in Punjab."

Controversy

While the nation was busy analysing the reason for the alleged poor performance of the Bt cotton in Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh, a paper entitled "Yield Effects of Genetically Modified Crops in Developing Countries" (Science-February, 2003) by Matin Qaim of the University of Bonn, Germany, and David Zilberman of the University of California, Berkley, UK, employing yield performance of Bt cotton for advocating the cause of genetically modified crops in the developing countries, added fuel to the fire. This triggered a controversy in India and several articles appeared in the Press questioning the field test data of 2001 used for deducing yield increase of 87 per cent from Bt cotton.

Now the moot question is whether we should follow the environmentalists in India and withdraw the sanction accorded for growing Bt cotton or follow the line of the US, China, Australia, Indonesia, Thailand and other countries for harnessing the benefits from Bt cotton. Seeing the ensured benefits of Bt cotton even in warm countries like Thailand and Indonesia the argument of critics that Bt cotton is effective against bollworm only in cool niches as in the US is untenable. A study by Kasetsart University, Bangkok, illustrates that each rai of Bt cotton gave a benefit of 195.5 to 275.5 baht. The cost of pest control came to 300 baht per rai in contrast to 570 baht in non-Bt cotton (Bangkok Post, September 18, 2000).

The poor performance to complete failure of Bt crop in certain localised pockets in the first year of its official introduction in India cannot be ignored. The complex pest and disease scenario of cotton in general and Bt cotton in particular warrants the adoption of integrated pest management (IPM) as a sound approach to control pests and pathogens with significant saving. The findings of the Central Institute of Cotton Research (CICR) indicate that the cost of plant protection for Bt Mech-184 in the event of pest population crossing the economic threshold is as high as Rs 5,000 per ha and such a limit increases once in 90 days. CICR findings suggest that at initial stages the average expenditure on IPM will come to Rs 1,413/ha for Mech-184 and Mech-l02 and Rs 1,727/ha for Mech-12.

Spurious insecticides

The arguments given by critics of Bt cotton do not include the supply of spurious insecticides in the market, leading to low yields with high cost of pesticide sprays. This may possibly be another reason for yield aberration in many pockets. As long as the quality and efficacy of the insecticides are not ensured the conclusions drawn will always go against the introduction of transgenics. Ask any farmer and he will attribute low yield of Indian crops to spurious chemicals.

The advice to the critics of Bt cotton would be to wait and see. Farm scientists are not necessarily dragging farmers into the lap of MNCs by promoting transgenics. During the Green Revolution the application of chemical fertilisers was instrumental in attaining self-sufficiency in food and now transgenics may open a new era of entrepreneurship and employment generation in primary and secondary sectors.

Indigenous research

We may reject the observations of Qaim and Zilberman for using the field test data of Mahyco for advocating the cause of genetically modified crops (GMC). But what needs to be done is that our own scientists should be pushed to develop seeds of GMCs and ensure that they are available at affordable prices, rather than depending upon MNCs alone. Ask scientists to produce transgenic crops that are completely resistant to pests and pathogens. Give a fair chance to Bt cotton. If it fails farmers will reject it, or otherwise, like any other successful technology, it will dominate the Indian farm scene.

MONSOON plays a vital role in farm productivity as well as power generation. In India, over 75 per cent of the annual rainfall is received during the Southwest monsoon season.

The word monsoon owes its origin to the Arabic word "mausim," meaning season. It was used by seamen, several centuries ago, to describe a system of alternating winds over the Arabian Sea. These winds appear to blow from the northeast for about six months and from the southwest for another six months. While opinions differ on a precise definition of monsoon, the term is used to denote a seasonal wind, which blows with consistency and regularity for a part of the year, and is absent or blows from another direction for the remaining part of the year. Such seasonal changes of winds are the result of differential heating of land and ocean.

The continents of Asia, Africa and Australia are affected by monsoon. C.S. Ramge laid out the boundaries of the monsoon as between 35°N-25°S and 30°W-173°E. Monsoon winds blow during June, July and August in the northern hemisphere and January and February in the southern hemisphere. During June, the trade winds from the southern hemisphere penetrate deep into the northern hemisphere towards India, the wide stretches of Southeast Asia and to a lesser extent towards Africa. In January, the northeast winds move southwards into South America, East Africa and North Australia. During the period, a branch of northeast winds sweeps across the south Bay of Bengal, giving rain to half of the Indian Peninsula, i.e., Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh.

Monsoon over India during summer is known as Southwest monsoon and that during winter is called Northeast monsoon. The energetics of Indian monsoon depend on the heat balance of the atmosphere during the pre-monsoon and monsoon months and the transport of energy and water vapor in the air.

The energy for all atmospheric motions is derived from the sun. As the sun moves northwards across the equator in the northern hemisphere, the continents surrounding the Arabian Sea begin to receive large amounts of heat, not only from the sun but also that emitted from the earth' s surface. As a consequence of this, a trough of low pressure forms over the region. It extends from Somalia northward across Arabia into Pakistan and northwest India. Towards the end of May, the heat low is well established and a south-easterly trades cross the equator, becomes south-west and spreads northward over the Arabian sea, the Bay of Bengal and the Indian subcontinent.

The onset of southwest early winds over the West Coast of India is often sudden, referred to as the burst of monsoon over India. The monsoon is basically an air stream laden with moisture. Its arrival is a gradual process beginning with a short period of transition from extreme heat to a very humid atmosphere with light rain.

In Assam and West Bengal geographic features play an important role, as moisture-laden monsoon winds strike against mountains. Along the West Coast of India the orientation of the Western Ghats is from the north to south. The monsoon winds, which strike the ghats from a south-westerly direction, shed most of their moisture on the windward side of the ghats.

The normal date of arrival of the Southwest Monsoon in Sri Lanka and the island in the Bay of Bengal is towards the last week of May. Thereafter, it touches the extreme tip of the Indian peninsula (June 1.)

The subsequent progress of the monsoon can may traced in the form of two branches, the Arabian Sea branch and the Bay of Bengal branch. The Arabian Sea branch gradually advances northwards to Mumbai (June 10). In the meantime, the Bay of Bengal branch moves northwards into the central Bay of Bengal and rapidly spreads over most of Assam by the first week of June. On reaching the southern periphery of the Himalayan barrier, the Bay of Bengal branch of the monsoon is deflected westwards. As a consequence, its further progress is towards the Gangetic plains of India rather than towards Myanmar. The arrival of the monsoon over Kolkata is slightly earlier (June 7) than at Mumbai.

By mid-June the Arabian Sea branch spreads over Saurashtra, Kutch and the central parts of the country. Thereafter, the deflected current from the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea branch of monsoon tend to merge into a single current. The remaining parts of western Utter Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab and eastern Rajasthan experience their first monsoon rain by the first week of July. At times, the first monsoon showers at Delhi arrive from the east as an extension of the Bay of Bengal branch or from the Arabian Sea branch.

By mid-July, the monsoon extends into Kashmir and the remaining parts of the country, but only as a feeble current because, by this time, it has shed most of its moisture. The normal duration of the monsoon is roughly 100 to 120 days. It begins to withdraw from Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan by the middle of September. The withdrawal of the monsoon is a more gradual process than its onset. It withdraws from northwest India by the beginning of October and from the rest of the country by the end of November.

Early or late onset of monsoon does not provide any indication as to its total behaviour. It also does not give any clue on whether the monsoon will progress normally.

SUCCESSFUL calf rearing is based on good management and hygienic practices. Diarrhoea in calves is a major reason for neonatal mortality and leads to quality genoplasm and economic losses to farmers. Thus the prevention of neonatal diarrhoea is of great concern to dairy farmers.

Diarrhoea is basically increased frequency of watery or semi-solid defecation and is put under different categories:

Osmotic diarrhoea:
In this there is malabsorption of food from the walls of the intestine, thus accumulation of bulk in the lumen of intestine. Excess contents exert pressure on the wall of the intestine, which causes diarrhoea. This is generally encountered in viral diarrhoeas.

Hypersecretory diarrhoea: Over secretion of fluids into the lumen of the intestine, which supersedes the absorption from intestine. This causes accumulation of excess fluid in the lumen, resulting in diarrhoea. This occurs mainly in bacterial diarrhoeas.

Hyperperistaltic diarrhoea: Increased peristalsis (movement of intestine because of which food moves forward in the gastrointestinal tract). This happens mainly due to incorrect diet, hyper-acidity, etc.

The prevalence of these agents varies with age. Diarrhoea due to E. Coli is more prevalent within one week of birth. In the second week calves are highly susceptible to Rota virus. Though Corona virus doesn't infect calves as much as Rota virus, but it is also encountered in the second week.

Diarrhoea causes loss of water and electrolytes like sodium, potassium, chlorides and bicarbonates, which causes dehydration and, if not managed in time, may ultimately be followed by shock and death. For diarrheic calves fluid therapy acts like nectar. If neonates are capable of consuming orally then the following composition, recommended by the WHO for humans, may be tried in neonate calves as first aid: water—1000ml; glucose—20 gm; sodium bicarbonate—2.5gm; sodium chloride (common salt)—3.5 gm; and potassium chloride— 1.5 gm. Cool this solution after boiling and then give it to neonates. Force-feeding should be avoided as it can lead to aspiration of liquid into the lungs, which may be fatal. If a calf refuses to take it orally then a veterinarian should be contacted.

Depending on the causative agents, different medications are required. For bacterial diarrhoea antibiotics are used while for parasitic diarrhoeas anthelmintics are given. In viral diarrhoeas, if confirmed, fluid therapy is the only choice. It has to be noted that diagnosis and confirmation cannot be done by a layman.

Emphasis should be laid on prevention. For this, the following principles should be observed:

Provide adequate colostrum (@ 1/10th of the new-born calf's weight) as it provides resistance to diseases. (Colostrum is the first milk after parturition; in local parlance it is called bohli).

Minimise stress to the calves.

Reduce the possibility of introduction and carryover of infectious agents.

While most diarrhoeas are treatable, if proper attention is not given in time it may endanger the life of a calf. Even in minor diarrhoeas qualified veterinarians must be consulted.

PLACEMENT of fertilisers with the help of an aqua-fertiliser drill showed significant improvement in germination, growth and yield of rain-fed wheat and lentil over the results obtained with dry placement of fertiliser.

Grain yield (t/ha) of wheat and lentil as affected by methods of fertiliser application:

Software

FERTI, interactive and user-friendly software, has been developed by the IARI, New Delhi, to support the operation schedule of fertiliser through drip system and management of fertigation as a whole. The software was utilised in raising a cucumber crop.

Another software, CoBaSim (contour basin simulation), based on a 2-D mathematical model, was also developed. This is useful for designers, surveyors and users for contour basin irrigation layouts.

Organic fertilisers

In wheat it was observed that a net saving of 30 kg N + 15 kg P2O5 + 15 kg K2O/ha could be achieved with the application of 5 tonnes/ha of FYM along with 60 kg N + 60 kg P2O5 + 30 kg K2O/ha. In chickpea, vermicompost @ 3 tonnes /ha effected an economy of 30 kg P2O5/ha. Vermicompost, in combination with Rhizobium + phosphate solubilising bacteria recorded 19.1 and 11.4% increase in productivity over their respective individual application. Inoculation of Rhizobium along with 20 kg N + 50 kg P2O5/ha gave an increased yield of groundnut over that obtained with the same dose of N and P fertilisers. Incorporation of groundnut haulm effected an economy of 60 kg N and 25 kg P2O5/ha in the following wheat crop.